A retired air hostess has revealed how she would deal with drunk passengers onboard flights while minimising confrontation.

Patricia Pearce appeared on Channel 5 show When Cruises Go Horribly Wrong and Other Travel Nightmares last night, where she spoke about a little-known trick plane staff use to avoid mid-air dramas with unruly passengers.

She said: "I think the biggest challenges now is having to cope with passengers that have been in the bar before getting on.

"One of the things I used to do is when they asked for another drink, rather than going and being confrontational, I would give them another drink.

HOSTESS: The former worker revealed passengers would often board the plane after having attended the bar (Image: CHANNEL 5)

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"Say they got a gin and tonic for instance – I would put a plain tonic in the glass and rub gin around the rim of the glass so that when you took it down, they can sniff the gin and they could taste it because its on the rim.

"They thought they got a gin and tonic and they were quite happy."

UK Police figures show that in 2017-18, 70 people had been arrested on suspicion of being drunk on board a plane.

Travel journalist Sharon Livingston said: "90% of incidents that happen on an aeroplane are drink-related."